Haiku Contest at NWF

Alright all you poetry writers out there (Wild Rose Reader, Cloudscome, Gregory K, just to name a few), it's time for you to submit your nature-themed haiku to the National Wildlife Federation for possible publication in next month's edition of Wildlife Online. Check out their site for details.

48-Hour Book Challenge - Final Stats

Okay, here are my final stats. I did pretty well, all things considered.

Books Read: 7

• Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire by Julius Lester
• Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
• Class Matters by correspondents of the New York Times
  
• Resurrection Men by T.K. Welsh
• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
• The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg

Pages Read: 1,686

Time Spent Reading: 21 hours

Time Spent Blogging: 1 hour

Book Challenge - Update 4

Well, it's nearly 6:30 pm and I'm throwing in the towel. I did read for another 5 and a half hours and finished two books.

Magic or Madness is a terrific first book in a trilogy. I loved Reason Cansino. Her voice is unusual, her knowledge of numbers and science and logical explanations appealed to me. The author has drawn believable pictures of both New York City and Sydney. I was intrigued from the very first page, and could not put it down. Is magic real? Is it a force for good or evil? The book moves quickly towards and ending that simply makes the reader want to continue on with the second book. Alas, Magic Lessons, must wait for tomorrow.

Since I was running out of time, the last book I finished was a bit shorter. I picked up The Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg before I left for China, but never got a chance to read it. Though a bit slow, I was drawn in by Salai, the descriptions of da Vinci, and the mystery of the Mona Lisa. This excerpt from the end of the book really moved me.

This was a woman who knew that she was not pretty and who had learned to live with that knowledge. This was a woman whose acceptance of herself made her beautiful in a deep and hidden way. A woman whose look told you that you were being sized by a measuring rod in her head; a measuring rod on which she alone had etched the units. A woman who knew how to give pleasures and how to give pain. A woman who knew how to endure. A woman of layers.

As soon as that thought came to him, Salai knew that he could persuade Leonardo to do it. He know that there was something haunting about this lady's looks, something that only Leonardo could capture in paint.

This is a fine piece of historical fiction that nicely captures the spirit of life of Italy during the late 1400s.

This challenge has been fun, but exhausting. I generally am fairly committed to reading during the summer, but find it much harder to keep up during the academic year. I suppose that's why I spend so much time reading picture books (cookbooks too!) during this time. I do need to make more time for longer selections, both YA and adult when we are actually in session. Perhaps that will be one of my goals for the upcoming year.

I've been reading the posts of some of the other contestants and am blown away by how quickly they read and how much ground they've covered. Some of them are reading machines, and I bow to their greatness. You can see what I mean by checking out the sites of Little Willow and Bookshelves of Doom.

Book Challenge - Update 3

Okay, let's weigh my choices last night -- eight hours of sleep or more time reading? Given the serious jet lag that I'm still dealing with, the choice was a relatively easy one. I did read to the boy for 45 minutes and then went to be when he did, at 8 pm. I was, however, up by about 3 am. I tried mightily to get back to sleep, but when that failed me, I got up and read. I finished another book in the nearly four hours of quiet before heading off to 8:30 mass.

Believe it or not, I had never read Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux. I suppose that some of the reviews of Edward Tulane made me a bit gun shy about this title. However, I loved the diminutive Despereaux, Princess Pea, Roscuro and Mig. And now that I've decided to embrace my inner romantic, I'll admit to being secretly thrilled by Chapter 50 and these lines.

"PRINCESS!" Despereaux shouted. "Princess, I have come to save you."
The Princess Pea heard her name. She looked up.
"Despereaux," she whispered.
And then she shouted it, "Despereaux!"
Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.
Nothing.
For Despereaux, the sound was worth everything: his lost tail, his trip to the dungeon, and back out of it and back into it again.

For those of you keeping score, here's where I stand to date.
Books read: 5
Pages read: 272 + 288 + 208 + 240 + 214 = 1,222
Hours read: 15.5 (Okay, so I'm a slow reader!)

I have some errands to run with the boy, laundry and some cleaning, but hope to get to at least one more title before my time expires at 7 pm. Wish me luck!

Book Challenge - Update 2

I have just returned from birthday party drop-off and pick-up, with a short interlude in my office to try and finish my report summarizing the trip to China. I can't seem to let it go yet, which shouldn't surprise anyone who's read this post.

Since I've been away for so long, I really should be spending my time cleaning this house (it's a darn mess) and doing laundry, but instead, I'm happily reading. I've put in another 6 hours and finished these books.

Class Matters - I shouldn't have been surprised that I was so moved by this collection of essays on social class. Reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich forever changed my views of the working class. I must say that reading Class Matters was a bit like watching a train wreck. The view is horrific but you can't avert your eyes. The essays all pack a punch, but the one that moved me most was "The College Dropout Boom." With statements like the ones below, I found myself wondering about my University's commitment to all types of diversity, including economic.

• Only 41% of low income students entering a four-year college managed to graduate within five years, the U.S. Department of Education found in a 2004 study, but 66 percent of high-income students did.
• Many more students from all classes are getting four-year degrees and reaping their benefits. But those broad gains mask the fact that poor and working-class students have nevertheless been falling behind; for them, not having a degree remains the norm.
• Opening up colleges to new kinds of students has generally meant one thing over the last generation: affirmative action. Intended to right the wrongs of years of exclusion, the programs have swelled the number of women, blacks, and Latinos on campuses. But affirmative action was never supposed to address broad economic inequities, just the ones that stem from specific kinds of discrimination.

In addition to reading the book, I got online and spent some time looking over the teacher resources. Good stuff.

I also finished Resurrection Men this afternoon. T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book! As a fan of Sherlock Holmes novels and most pieces of historical fiction set in the Victorian era, I was right at home in this work. The fact that I had recently finished Anne Roiphe's An Imperfect Lens about the cholera epidemic of 1883 in Alexandria just put me in the mood for the grisly details of Welsh's story. Victor is a worthy protagonist, and one that is not easily forgotten once the book is finished. Suffering a cruel early life, Victor witnesses the murder of his parents, is sold to a merchant, and is abused at sea and finally thrown overboard. Once he washes ashore in England, he is taken in by an elderly man who helps him recover, only to sell him to a pair of grave robbers (the "Resurrection men") who steal corpses for use in research and dissection. This is a wonderfully ghoulish story that captures the darkness of London in the mid-1800's. Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down. Once you reach the end, you have the option of logging on to the hidden section of T.K. Welsh's web site for some added fun.

Time now to get dinner together, do bath time, play some games and read books before bedtime. Until then, Larbalestier is in the on-deck circle.

Book Challenge - Update 1

Well, I actually read for about 5 and a half hours last night. It would have been 6, but we needed to take 30 minutes to read bedtime stories. Too bad picture books don't count, as I'd have another 6 books to add to my list.

I finished two books before I went to sleep last night, Project Mulberry and Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire. I was up again at 4 am, so I turned on my book light and started title 3, Class Matters. My reading will slow significantly with this one.

After many years of studying Latin, I have a soft spot in my heart for Greek and Roman mythology. However, I do not remember ever reading the story of Cupid and Psyche. Julius Lester is a masterful storyteller and I found my self lost in the little philosophical moments interjected throughout the tale. Here are two of my favorites.

"In love, and perhaps only in love, are the finite limitations of self dissolved and we merge, not only with the beloved other, but with wonder itself. In love, whether it is love of another, of music, art, or whatever, we belong to someone or something and we are no longer alone (p. 35)."

"Love happened. Love came to show you that you could be more than you ever imagine, because love forced you out of the narrows of yourself and thrust you into a vastness that stretched from one end of time to the other (p. 185)."

Okay, this is where I tell you that I've never considered myself a romantic, let alone a hopeless one, though I suppose my yearly reading of Pride and Prejudice belies this belief. I'm also a sucker for happy endings, so, there you go.

As for Project Mulberry, I'm not sure why this book was off my radar screen for so long. I loved Julia and found her early struggle with the roots of the silkworm project to ring true. One of the topics that consumes our work in social studies is identity and how to help students living between cultures acknowledge, celebrate and feel proud of their roots. The real challenge is helping students do this while they wrestle with finding their "American" identity. I found her relationship with Patrick to be well-developed, and will continue to think about the issues raised by their interaction with Mr. Dixon. Perhaps most interesting for me was the series of ongoing dialogues between Julia and author about the writing of the book. Overall, I can't say enough good things about it. This will surely be one I consider for my next Integrated Curriculum Methods class.

Okay, between errands, fixing meals, a birthday party for two 6-year olds, and getting my glasses fixed (yes, I broke them this morning), I'm going to keep reading. It will be interesting to see how far I get.

Let the Games Begin - 48-Hour Book Challenge Is On

I just returned from the library with an armful of books. Will I get through them all? It's doubtful, but I'm sure going to try. Since I'm not yet sleeping more than 3 or 4 hours a night (unless drugged), I may as well take advantage of the time and read. As soon as I get dinner on the table, I'm starting. For the sake of argument, let's call it 7 pm Friday to 7 pm Sunday for me. My pile of books includes:

• Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park - My trip to a silk factory in China inspired me to finally pick this one up.
• Resurrection Men by T.K. Welsh - The only encouragement I needed to check this one out was a recommendation from someone with exquisite taste. Thanks Kelly!
• Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire by Julius Lester - Lester is one of my favorite authors, and besides, I couldn't resist a book with flap copy that reads: "Cupid is the god of love and a tireless maker of mischief. When he breaks out his bow and quiver, nobody's safe. Sleepless nights, embarrassing poetry, nausea . . . What could be more fun? Only, perhaps, seeing the god of love humbled with a little heartache of his own."
• Magic or Madness and Magic Lessons by Justine Larbalestier - I've been reading her blog, so I guess it's time I picked up her books!
• Two "teacher" books I simply haven't read yet, even though my students keep recommending them: Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell (finally!) and There are No Shortcuts by Rafe Esquith.
• I Am a Pencil by Sam Swope - What could be better than reading about the experience of writing poetry with kids?
• Class Matters - This was the book for UR's "One Book, One Campus: Dialogues in Social Justice" project during the 06-07 academic year. I've been meaning to read it all year.
• Finally, I've been saving The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak ever since I heard her interviewed on NPR. Now that I have a friend leaving for Istanbul, I'm more than inspired to read it.

I doubt I'll get through the entire list, but it will be fun trying.

Poetry Friday - Tibet

Thanks to Jonathan for the picture of the water burial site on the Bramaputra.

Sorry folks, but I'll have China on my mind for while. Here's an original for you.

Tibetan Dreams
still recovering and
needing sleep
dreaming of clear blue skies
time to
close my eyes
hear the snap of prayer flags
smell the juniper and incense
feel the wind on my face
taste the sweetest clouds
and reach to
touch the sky

Happy poetry Friday, all!

Reflections on China

My trip to China has changed my life in ways both inconsequential (yes, I am much more proficient with chopsticks) and profound (read on). While I struggle to write a report that captures my views, I find some common themes and ideas emerging. Here are some of the thoughts that now fill me as a result of this amazing adventure.

• Halfway around the world I was struck not by the "foreignness" of the places I came to know, but rather by the familiarity of my surroundings. How strange to find myself feeling at home in lands where life is at once so different, yet very much the same.

• I will never again feel small and insignificant when I visit NYC. Beijing, with its population of 16 million, and Shanghai with more than 20 million people, both demonstrated what life is like when millions of people come together in one place.

• I will appreciate every breath of fresh air I take, having spent time in a city where the pollution is a constant haze over all you see, and assaults your eyes, nose and lungs in ways unimaginable. I suppose the transition from Beijing to Lhasa was made even more stark by this contrast. Though thin, the air in Lhasa was crisp and clean. I only hope that the encroachment of continued development does not change this.

• I rarely drive north on 95 anymore, as the traffic from D.C. northward is always constant and unnerving for me. After sitting for hours in Beijing traffic, I will think twice before complaining again about our traffic situation. There is simply no comparison. I'll add to this a new appreciation for American "rules of the road." In China it appears that traffic is governed only by the rule of "gross tonnage, " better stated as "I'm bigger than you so you'd better get out of my way."

• While I grow weary at times by the door-to-door visits from Jehovah's witnesses and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the evangelism that dominates late night and weekend television, and the influence of the religious right in matters political, I now appreciate and feel extremely grateful that I live in a society that that gives voice and rights to the wide range of religious groups in America. As a practicing Catholic who cantors at 8:30 mass on Sunday mornings, I found Sundays to be a very strange day in China. The lack of practical faith was something I had a hard time grasping. For myself, I felt a strange void in the absence of this traditional routine.

• William keeps asking when we are going to get him a baby brother or sister. My response is not any time soon (and probably not likely). I have never really thought much about the freedom I have to make this kind of choice in my life, but after spending time with many people who talked about the impact China's one-child policy has had on their lives, I feel incredibly lucky to know that my government does not place restrictions on the number of children women and/or families may have.

• My colleagues and I spent a great deal of time preparing for our trip. We read both popular and academic literature, watched videos and made presentations on our areas of interest. As much as I learned in this pre-travel period, it all paled in comparison to actually being in Taiwan, China and Tibet. There simply is no substitute for immersing yourself in another world, getting your hands dirty, and exploring, to the extent possible, the worlds of others. No amount of study could ever have taught me all that I learned on this trip.

• I have been away from home before, but never for more than 4 or 5 days. The void that filled my heart was enormous, and it grew every time I saw a child. I could never have imagined that I would miss William as much as I did. Do all mothers feel this way? Will I ever choose to be away from him this long again? Because I missed him so much, I found myself stealing glances at all the children we came across. I was particularly moved by the faces of Tibetan children.

• I left China with a new empathy for children who struggle to read and adults who remain illiterate. I found the illiteracy rates in Tibet to be staggering. The number we were quoted was an adult illiteracy rate of 60-70%. Looking at signs in Chinese and Tibetan, where nothing even looked remotely familiar or decodable, made me recognize in myself the panic I see on the faces of youngsters who cannot read the words on the page before them. I will never again take for granted this wonderful gift that is the ability to read.

• There were times abroad when I truly felt like the “ugly American.” Though I have five long years of Latin study under my belt, I speak no other language. This gaping hole in my personal knowledge often made me think about how poorly we prepare students in the U.S. for the world we live in. Speaking English is simply not enough anymore. Our students need to learn a second and third language in their lifetime, and they need to start sooner than middle school. Why do public schools still not recognize this need? And what can I do to help encourage language study that truly leads to fluency, not just the ability to translate the written word?

• Can one be appreciative of something as simple as a toilet facility? I think so. God bless western style toilets. Enough said on this point.

• Traveling in this part of the world was a feast for the senses. Almost everything around me afforded a new taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. Perhaps I should be grateful for breaking my camera. How much did I miss, or fail to see, because I was looking through the lens of the camera? I can close my eyes now and still smell the air, feel the stones beneath my feet, and taste and smell some of the most incredible foods. These are memories I will treasure.

• Ethnic minorities in western China have seen many changes in the way they live their daily lives. One major change in recent years is the abandonment of hunting and shift to agrarian forms of subsistence as a result of gun control laws. I've thought a lot about this. I never once felt unsafe walking the city streets in any of the areas we visited. I cannot say the same for my country. Have we taken the second amendment too far? After all, haven't times changed significantly since the Bill of Rights was written? Why don't we take the safety and security of our communities more seriously? In some respects, I envy the Chinese for their commitment to this policy.

• On the ground, the Chinese people we met looked and acted an awful lot like us. Why does the U.S. continue with the policy of China as neither friend nor foe? Can we really continue to to let ideological differences rule our policies toward this growing giant? There are no easy answers where our foreign policy is concerned, but at the local level, Chinese people seem to want many of these same things we do. Will they ever reach these aspirations?

• I was moved by the guarded optimism of the Chinese people regarding the future of their country. The young people in particular believe their lives are better than their parents were, feel they can speak their minds (or at least said they felt this way), and eagerly look forward to full and productive futures.

• I am as confused as ever on the issue of Taiwan. How will Taiwan deal with the fact that it is geographically, politically, socially and culturally close to China? How can we respect and support the fledgling democracy in Taiwan without stepping on the toes of the Chinese?

I suppose I now have more questions than answers. I still have much to think about. Overall, I return ever grateful for the freedoms afforded me as an American citizen. I can certainly understand the frustration with China over human rights and lack of personal freedoms, but I do believe that democratization lies ahead, though perhaps not in the very near future. I too am optimistic and believe that change will come, even if it is not at the pace we outsiders would prefer to see. I believe that this wave of economic reform will (someday) usher in both social and political reform. I only hope it happens in my lifetime. I would love to see it, both from afar and on the ground.

48-Hour Book Challenge - Recommendations Please!

If you haven't signed up for the 48 Hour Book Challenge, head on over to MotherReader's place and sign up. Be sure to read the directions so that you will be ready to go when Friday rolls around. As incredibly tired as I am, I'm going to try and muddle through, so you should join us. You can do it!

In my quest to line up books to read, I have decided to open the comment lines for your input. I am teaching Secondary Curriculum Methods this fall and want to find several books for my students to consider using during their field experience. The class is largely filled with history majors (social studies teachers in the making), but I also have a majors in physics, Spanish and English. These students are all candidates for endorsement in grades 6-12, so middle grades, YA and adult fiction will work.

Since I need to read these books before recommending them, I am thinking of the following titles:

• The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
• Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

These are all books I have not read and would like to discover this weekend. What titles can you share that might make good additions to middle and secondary classrooms?

Learning in the Great Outdoors: Third Edition

I am woefully behind on my blog reading these days. I am, however, trying to catch up when I have a few free moments and can actually manage to stay awake! I am happy to announce (just a tad bit late) that the newest edition of Learning in the Great Outdoors is up. Once again, Terrell has done an admirable job putting this all together. Please stop by and take a look.

Final Thoughts - Thank You Friends

Any trip is what you make it. When you travel with a group, dynamics can be a funny thing. I was so privileged to share this experience with an amazing bunch of colleagues, that I must take this opportunity to remember them and thank them all publicly for making my first trip to China one I will never forget. So, for my traveling companions, this post is for you.

I'm going to begin with our fearless leader, so I'll start with the men.

Vincent W. - There simply aren't enough words to express my thanks to Vincent for planning and leading this trip. He opened doors for us all that would have been closed had it not been for his connections and tireless efforts in planning. He managed the good and the bad with courtesy and humility. We couldn't have asked for a better person to guide us.
Steve N. - Steve became known as "Old Nash" and "Nash Man" on our trip. He took the designation as most senior member in stride. I am grateful for having had Steve to talk to about music and books on many of our long drawn out bus rides.
Jonathan W. - Jonathan managed to get through a difficult situation on this trip with strength and grace. I feel lucky to have learned so much about his Mom and am glad he chose to share and celebrate her life with us.
Richard W. - Our resident museum expert was game for just about anything we threw at him. I'm so glad he joined our small group of friends on our (MY) big adventure in Beijing.

The last two men on this list were actually selected as alternates. When one of the original seminar members dropped out, both of these guys were added. I can't imagine having made this trip without them.

Andy M. - Andy was our music man who saw every performance event possible, and enjoyed the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. His quick wit kept us all laughing.
Nezih A. - Women all over China fell for Nezih and his goatee and felt this incurable urge to pull on it. (I believe we have pictures as proof!) Even though Andy was the member of our group who ate snake, we could count on Nezih to try just about anything put in front of him, like the head of a Peking duck.

Now for the women. I had the pleasure of rooming with each of these ladies, and am so grateful for having had the opportunity to get to know them better. I don't have a picture of the five of us together, so here's a picture with everyone but Carol.

Carol S. - Carol definitely raised the intellectual level of the group. She always asked thoughtful questions. However, Carol will always be remembered for her energy. Even in Lhasa when most of us were in slow motion, Carol had energy to burn.
Melissa L. - Our other resident political scientist, Melissa fueled my interest in areas well outside of my expertise with her questions about NGOs and foreign policy. She also served as our ever-patient sounding board when we needed to vent.
Miriam M. - Miriam has been living and working on the floor below me for years, but I never got to know her until this trip. She was our resident yoga expert who managed to find her way to studios in Taipei and Beijing. Miriam even practiced in Beijing at the Temple of Heaven.

I could say much more about each of these folks, but I'll end just by thanking them all one last time for making this trip so memorable. We sat for more group photos than I can recall, but I can't seem to find a picture that includes all of us. Here's one for now, minus Dana. This was taken outside the Potala Palace, where we were joined by some monks visiting the site. When I do get a decent shot of all 11 of us, I'll post it here.

Finally, I owe a debt of gratitude to both Melissa and Nezih. I was very disappointed about breaking my camera in Lhasa, so they put up with all my complaints about being without it and took many pictures for me. All of my recent posts contain pictures they took and so graciously shared. Thanks, guys!

Day 18 - Shanghai Museum and the Long Road Home

We checked out of our hotel this morning, loaded our bags onto the bus, and headed to the Shanghai Museum for our final stop before the long trip home. The museum contains more than 120,000 pieces, so in a short time we were treated to some amazing cultural relics, from furniture to bronzes, coins, and the artifacts from some of China's minority populations. From here we left for the airport. Here are a few final views of Shanghai.

The trip home included a long flight from Shanghai to Chicago, long lines at O'Hare, a delayed flight to Richmond, with a landing (finally) about two hours late at 11:30 pm. I got home a bit after midnight and was greeted by a dog that wouldn't stop barking. She woke the boy, who was thrilled his Mom was home. I have to admit, I was glad to be home too.

Day 17 – Touring Shanghai

Our final day as tourists was today. We started out visiting Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town on the Yangtze River that is about one hour west of Shanghai. The town boasts well-preserved Ming and Qing architecture, stone bridges and old streets. We did some walking and shopping in this lovely town.

After our time in Zhujiajiao we had lunch and visited a silk factory to see the process of making silk from growing silkworms to the spinning process. Here are some pictures.

Our next stops included the French Concession, where some folks took in the site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, while others indulged in some Starbuck's and a well-needed break. We then headed to Yu Gardens and the Bazaar for more shopping and sightseeing. Despite being a tourist mecca, the Bazaar was fun just for people watching and one of our favorite pastimes, interpreting poorly translated signs! Here is what the area around the Bazaar looked like.

After a final dinner out, we spent our last evening holed up in Melissa's room drinking beer and talking about music, our trip, and anything else that came to mind. This grand adventure is finally coming to an end, and though we are all ready to go home, I know I keep wishing for just one more day.

Day 16 - Fudan University and Other Lectures

Today was a whirlwind day of meetings and lectures. It began at Fudan University with a briefing by the Director of the Center for American Studies. He gave us an introduction to security issues in China. What I found most interesting was the conversation that ensued about the emergence of "Chinese-style" socialism and why for all intents and purposes, China is a socialist country, not a communist one.

From here we met with the Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs at Fudan and the Director for Student Exchange Programs. One of the goals of this trip is not only to help faculty think about China in ways that can expand their teaching and research, but also to cultivate relationships with institutions where we might be able to develop partner relationships for study abroad opportunities. Learning about these institutions has been fascinating, but few of them offer enough courses in English for them to be good destinations for our students. However, for those interested in language study, we have seen some programs that would make outstanding choices for them.

After lunch we met with faculty from Fudan in our respective disciplines. Since several of us had no peers to meet with, we took a quick walking tour of campus in the rain. When we returned, we had the opportunity to meet with undergraduate students for informal conversations. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Miriam and I spent close to an hour speaking with a group of young men who were not reluctant to share their views and ideas on a variety of subjects, including, but not limited to, the war in Iraq, the state of socialism/communism in China, personal freedoms, travel and more. I was very surprised by the extent of coverage the VA Tech tragedy had in China, and was shocked to realize that the students felt that America was not a safe place because of this.

After our day at Fudan we spent some time at the Institute for International Studies, where the Director shared with us his thoughts on the current state of US-China relations. After this we had time for a brief question and answer session.

Our evening ended with dinner at a fabulous restaurant on the Bund. Afterwards, we walked along the Bund and took in the sights. It was another great day.

Day 15 - Yunnan University and Travel to Shanghai

Our time in Kunming has been very short compared with other cities. The last part of our stay consisted of a morning at Kunming University where we had a brief presentation from Dr. Xiao Xian, a political scientist and the Vice President for International Exchange, followed by a lecture on ethnic minorities in China and Yunnan province by Dr. Shen Hai mei. The PRC officially recognizes 56 distinct ethnic groups, with Han Chinese making up nearly 92% of China’s total population. Yunnan province is a very diverse province in China, as it is about 70% Han Chinese and 30% ethnic minorities. The last of the 56 officially recognized groups was recognized in 1980. Even though there are still groups not recognized by the government (about 730,000 people), and others that are controversially classified, there has been no movement to increase this magic number of 56 ethnic groups.

After our lecture we took a quick tour of campus with a stop off at their Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology to examine more closely some of the ethnic minorities that populate the Yunnan province. The walk through campus was lovely. We happened to be at the “old” campus, which was established in 1923. The buildings were spectacular. The campus itself was quite and very peaceful, with lots of green space and areas for students to congregate and study.

Once we finished at Yunnan we headed to lunch then made our way to the airport for the flight to Shanghai. I can honestly say that I am really tired of flying at this point. To date I have taken 9 flights. I can look forward to one really L-O-N-G flight from Shanghai to Chicago, and then a short hop to Richmond. I am having a wonderful time, but I am now more than ready to get home.

We arrived in Shanghai around 7:30 pm. We were met at the airport by our guide, Lucy. She took us our for a fantastic dinner and then for a ride on the Huangpu River to see the city at night. Here are some of the sights from that quick cruise.

We've been spending a lot of time as tourists lately, so we need to put our thinking caps on for tomorrow, as we plan to spend our entire day visiting Universities and with academics. We still have lots to learn, so it should be a good day.

Day 14 - The Stone Forest

Even though we have been in mainland China for 10 days, it feels like we have seen very little outside of city life. Today we drove to the Stone Forest, an area in Yunnan province that is marked by karst topography. Karst topography is a landscape created by groundwater dissolving sedimentary rock such as limestone. This part of Yunnan province is covered with giant limestone rocks that were once covered by the sea. Over time they have been weathered and eroded in strange and unusual forms. Here are some examples.

Once we finished our exploration of the forest, we stopped into an art studio where a master was completing painting and works of calligraphy. He created a piece for each of use that represented the year of our birth according to the Chinese zodiac. I am a snake, so the artist wrote characters on my piece that read “The snake is the dragon of the earth.”

After lunch we spent some time walking through a minority village. It was our first real taste of the countryside.

Our first and only full day in Kunming was a good one. Tomorrow we spend the morning at Yunnan University before heading to our final destination, Shanghai.

Day 13 - Travel to Kunming

We said our goodbyes to Lhasa this morning and left for Kunming. The most exciting part of the morning was the bus ride from Lhasa to the airport. Normally a one-hour drive, we left at around 9 am for an 11:25 flight. However, a simple one-hour drive was not in the cards for us.

First, I should tell you that the road to the airport is a two-lane road. As in most of Lhasa, the rule of size applies to all traffic situations. There were very few lights in Lhasa, so at crowded intersections, the biggest vehicles, like trucks and buses bus, simply barreled through while drivers incessantly honked their horns. We never saw any accidents, but many close calls. So, these were the conditions our driver was operating under when he turned onto the road for the airport and found he was behind an enormous convoy of slow moving army vehicles. Being the brave soul that he was, he spent the next 45 minutes passing trucks in the convoy while vehicles came speeding at us in the approaching lane. Tractors, motorcycles and small cars were all warned and slowed by the horn. Large approaching vehicles, however, meant that the bus needed to not only pass trucks in the convoy, but frequently slid between them at inopportune moments. When we finally passed the lead truck in the convoy, the entire bus broke out clapping and cheering for the driver.

We finally arrived at the airport around 10:30 and were checked in as a group. We quickly made it through security and tried mightily to find our gate (there were only 4 and one wasn’t in use), but at this late time it was still unassigned. Around 11 am we learned the flight would be briefly delayed, but we did finally take off before noon. One thing I have noticed on these group bookings is that all the men get aisle or window seats, while all the women get stuck in middle seats. It’s been really uncomfortable, and today was no exception. I was stuck between a man who had not showered in a very long time, and another who kept spitting into tissues and then stuffing them into the seat pocket in front of him. I know, I should look on the bright side. This is China and spitting is something that people do everywhere, so he could have just as easily spit on the floor. In any case, the view leaving Lhasa was spectacular.

We briefly touched down in Shangri La to let some passengers disembark and to take on new ones. The stop was quick and we were soon in the air again. Here are a few pictures of Shangri La from the air.

We finally landed in Kunming around 3pm. After a bus ride to the hotel, we dumped our bags in our rooms and headed out for a meeting at Kunming Normal University, where we sat in on student presentations. After this we ate another terrific meal with a few students and the Director of the SIT program. We finally arriveed at our hotel a bit road weary. Tomorrow is a tourist day, so we're all looking forward to some new sights.

Day 12 - More of Lhasa

We spent our morning today touring the Jokhang Temple. This is the holiest temple in Tibet, and we were fortunate enough to be in Lhasa during the holiest month of the year, so we saw many pilgrims to this holy place. The Jokhang Temple sits in the heart of the Barkhor, the bustling marketplace in Lhasa. The square outside of the Jokhang is marked by two large poles laden with prayer flags, and a large incense burner that constantly spews the scent of juniper bushes.

Pilgrims to the Jokhang make their way in a clockwise pattern around it, with many fully prostrating themselves along the way. The temple itself was magnificent, but so crowded with tourists and pilgrims that it was a bit uncomfortable. The view from the roof was absolutely stunning. Here are some pictures.

After our tour of the Jokhang we spent the remainder of the morning shopping. Here are a few images of the Barkhor.

After lunch we headed to Tibet University for a lecture on Tibetan culture. We learned about the rituals related to birth and funerals, as well as Tibetan Buddhism. When we had time for a question and answer period, we asked a bit about how deep the understanding of Buddhism was by the pilgrims who visit. We learned that while most practice the rituals associated with religion, since approximately 60-70% of Tibetans are illiterate, their understanding of the philosophy of their religion does not compare to the monks, since they do not read the texts.

The evening was ours, so after a group dinner we wandered around the market before heading back to the hotel in a pedicab. Our last day in Lhasa was a memorable one, and one in which we all left with bags heavier than when we came, due to our successful outing in the Barkhor. We are all becoming pretty good at bargaining, and can't wait to try our skills in the next cities. I think we'll all be a bit sad to leave Lhasa behind, but we're ready for the next stop on our trip.

Finally Back Home

Dear Friends,

I returned home shortly after midnight last night. Unfortunately, since my post on Day 11, I have been unable to access my blog. All our connections went through Google China, and apparently, I included something in my posts that caused the site to be blocked. I could not access my Google account at all for the remainder of my trip in China. I did, however, continue to write every day, so I will go back and post entries and pictures should you care to read them. Thanks to all of you for following me on this incredible journey. Stay tuned for the remaining posts and pictures.
Best,
Tricia

P.S. - Let me offer a special thanks to Elaine at Wild Rose Reader for posting a short note about this problem.